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iOS 7 - logical analysis of icon mania

there's a problem with all those "other" icons that may look better than iOS icons - they are just iterations, fixes, patches over a copy.

what happen is that our perception gets used and bored too fast. so is easy to iterate on visual designs... after a while, when you recall the first iteration you remember how great looked in the first place, and then you want to change your design direction again.

that is, designers and pseudo-designers are sick minds, including icon designers
 
I was revolted by the icons at first but after weeks of using the betas I've come to really appreciate the new designs. I prefer most of them over the old ones. The Photos icon is probably my favorite.
 
kmj2318 said:
The silliest thing I've read about the icons is Neven Mrgan's article that the grid is "wrong." He tells us that the circle is too close to the edge of the icon, and shows how with more spacing it looks better:

Image

Sure, at first it looked too big, but now, the one on the far right looks weird to me. It's really strange to me to see a designer say things like something looks inherently wrong. The human mind adjust's itself to pretty much anything, very few things in the world are objective, especially aesthetics. Plus, all of the redesigns floating around have an expectedness and sameness to them. Designing things to make them look "right" is flawed and destined to get lost in the noise (like all these redesigns) because your concept of what you think is "right" has been programmed into you by what you're currently being exposed to.

Nobody is bothered by the spacing of the clock, even though that follows the grid. Know why? It's because we're already used to it. The clock since the beginning had it's circle blown out to the edges, and we're all fine with it because it's what we become accustom to. Neven Mrgan even said that the clock looks ok because if it was a physical object it would look similar to that. So he's saying that the gird isn't wrong in this case, but is wrong in others :confused:. Jony Ive says "design is learning how to see." This means learning to see things for what they are, instead of letting your biases about what is "right" get in the way.
Click to expand...

It still looks better to me, and to be fair, the line style on the right should be thicker to compensate for the fact that the icon was scaled down.

Expectedness and sameness are small prices to pay for something that looks good.

I agree; sticking to what is conventionally right isn't good if (and only if) you're replacing convention with something better.

I've always been bothered by the clock icon, actually, but I understand the numbers must be legible and uncrowded.

Masquerade said:
there's a problem with all those "other" icons that may look better than iOS icons - they are just iterations, fixes, patches over a copy.

what happen is that our perception gets used and bored too fast. so is easy to iterate on visual designs... after a while, when you recall the first iteration you remember how great looked in the first place, and then you want to change your design direction again.

that is, designers and pseudo-designers are sick minds, including icon designers
Click to expand...

I never actually got bored with iOS 6; I thought it was the most beautiful mobile OS available. WP8 has crowded, inconsistent live tiles that others seem to favor, and Android chose to go with something that I just don't like stylistically. iOS looked delicious and premium, but 7 won't be so bad with some minor tweaks.

Oh, and, hey, my mind isn't sick! :p
 
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Gogurt48 said:
Here are six:

Homescreen.png

icons2_1x.png


I think that each of these is superior to Apple's, on the whole.
Click to expand...
I agree.
 
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Look at this, especially the side-by-side comparison lower down the page.

In some cases the proportions have been adjusted (Safari, Notes, Photos). And others have had their gradients toned down (Messages, Videos, iTunes Store). Even Game Center is an improvement. White backgrounds have a very subtle gradient, so they'll show up if the wallpaper is all-white.

You'd have a hard time convincing anyone that the iOS 7 icons are objectively better than these. These are still the same designs that Apple uses (except perhaps Reminders), but they are what they should have been. They are 'easier on the eye'.

iOS-7-Icons-Comparison.png
 
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Jynto said:
Look at this, especially the side-by-side comparison lower down the page.

In some cases the proportions have been adjusted (Safari, Notes, Photos). And others have had their gradients toned down (Messages, Videos, iTunes Store). Even Game Center is an improvement. White backgrounds have a very subtle gradient, so they'll show up if the wallpaper is all-white.

You'd have a hard time convincing anyone that the iOS 7 icons are objectively better than these. These are still the same designs that Apple uses (except perhaps Reminders), but they are what they should have been. They are 'easier on the eye'.

Image
Click to expand...

All I think that can be said objectively is there is much more wasted space in the redesigned set. For one thing, the glyphs are shrunken and puny, which reduces readability. And the containers have been scaled back to the old iOS 6 size. To be fair, this was one of the first sets to appear—I believe 2 or 3 days after beta 1, and there is a regressive "can't let go of iOS 6 yet' feel to it in general.
 
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Superior flatomorphs

The flatomorps of IOS 7 are probably the penultimate icons in the history of icons.

If you can't see that the color palette is exactly what Job's chose himself you don't have eyes.

1578107_orig.jpg
 
cleo1 said:
I remember a similar controversy when the new-style $100 bills came out. "Monopoly money" was the most common description. Looks normal now, right? We need to be careful not to mistake nostalgia for goodness, and unfamiliarity for badness.
Click to expand...

And let's not mention when they removed the CD from the iTunes icon! :eek:
That was supposed to be the end of Apple.
 
Ottoman1 said:
The flatomorps of IOS 7 are probably the penultimate icons in the history of icons.

If you can't see that the color palette is exactly what Job's chose himself you don't have eyes.

Image
Click to expand...

.....
 

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As a Greek, the usage of 'flatomorphic' is beginning to annoy me. Try 'platymorphic'.
 
I think all the whining and crying will result in no one staying on iOS 6 because they don't like the look of the new icons. Its just the old tradition of people having to see everyone else wearing or using something before they change. Its why 9 out of 10 16 to 35 year old people in any store/restaurant are wearing the exact same style as the other people.
 
Ottoman1 said:
If you can't see that the color palette is exactly what Job's chose himself you don't have eyes.
Click to expand...

Of course, one of the first things Jobs did when he came back to Apple was to kill the fruit logo.
(Although not too long after we got the fruit iMacs.)

But of course playing the "what Steve would've thought" game is pointless.

While on the whole I prefer the icons of iOS 6 minus some of the glossiness, my main concern with the new ones is the garish gradients. If they could tone down those as in a few of these mockups I'd have no complaints.
 
Ottoman1 said:
The flatomorps of IOS 7 are probably the penultimate icons in the history of icons.

If you can't see that the color palette is exactly what Job's chose himself you don't have eyes.

Image
Click to expand...

I've improved on your graphic to reflect the general user base's opinion of your obsession with that made up term:

Wkm8TQC.png
 
Flatomorphic Images Inspired by Fresh Pie

I don't think you are getting the gist of how to design flatomorphs. I have improved upon yours here:
Flatomorphic_Fresh_Pie.jpg


As I have stated before Flatomorhpic design isn't for everyone.:rolleyes:
 
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Ottoman1 said:
The flatomorps of IOS 7 are probably the penultimate icons in the history of icons.

If you can't see that the color palette is exactly what Job's chose himself you don't have eyes.

Image
Click to expand...

my bathrooms has those colors also and is not an enterprise. also you forgot stocks, settings et al
 
Ottoman1 said:
I don't think you are getting the gist of how to design flatomorphs. I have improved upon yours here:
Image

As I have stated before Flatomorhpic design isn't for anyone besides me.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You've improved upon them by ruining each glyph? Ew.

Fixed that for you. :rolleyes:
 
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